Nostalgia-driven vintage organ!

If you own or are looking into getting yourself a Yamaha PS-20, odds are you - much like myself - want to reach the kind of tones that define the first albums of the band Beach House, that used one of these extensively. Because - again, much like myself - your potential purchase will likely depend on that factor above any other criteria, I'll segment my review in three paragraphs: the first regarding my experiences with this synth as fan memorabilia, secondly in regard to how well it serves me as a musical instrument in terms of expressing myself in the vibe of Beach House and, finally, a more objective standpoint on how it compares with newer and/or cheaper gear you could've gotten yourself instead.

Despite never having learned how to play the piano prior to this purchase, I've always been interested into it and finding a hot deal on the iconic instrument behind one of my favorite bands proved to be the ignition to get it and learn it. The different voicings offered (as well as some of the drum machine beats) have, obviously, the Beach House tunes ready at your disposal. However, as it happens with most vintage synths, you'll come to find it doesn't sound exactly as you hear on the recordings - built-in effects was something unheard of at this time, and Victoria Legrand herself was seen using effects pedals in her signal chain, so do expect a drier and more sterile sound out of the box. Besides that, it's still a relatively easy keyboard to find floating around, the quest to get one yourself depending more on how much you're willing to spend. In the end, it's not everyday you can own an identical instrument, made within the short timeframe and in the same plant as that used by one of your favorite artists.

Given my point in regard to the lack of built-in sound processing, some post-production or, at least, the inclusion of effects pedals is expected if you want to accomplish the reminiscing tones that likely brought you here in the first place. It's pretty easy to record this one, with good quality audio coming out of the headphone jack, and in my experience with my band, you can easily tweak its sound at your preferred DAW much to your liking.

Finally, in a purely objective regard, if you just want to sound like Beach House but don't want to drop the ridiculous prices these go for at your typical online sales sites, you may very well be better off using any MIDI keyboard and a well-known, relatively cheap plugin that mimics it very well. This synth won't take a lot of space (perhaps just a tad more than a typical 49 key organ, due to its side-mounted speaker), but be mindful it's rather heavy in comparison to modern digital keyboards (there's an ongoing debate on whether this is digital or analog I lack the expertise to answer). It seems very well built and mine help up fine over 40 years of use with nothing more than a noisy volume slider that went away with use, but be mindful it was still, in essence, a lower-end learning keyboard which is way past the presumable expected lifespan - yours may need some TLC from a competent tech, as with anything its age.

All in all, it serves well if you wish for what caught Victoria's interest, according to some of her interviews: some cheesy, lofi 80s voicings that, while not sounding great or even like the instruments they intend to simulate, do have the nostalgic feel of what we imagine of the music back then. It's an old, fairly limited instrument that offers no more than what affordable plugins can give you much more conveniently - but it does so in a rather classy and amusing fashion that some will certainly appreciate and be attracted by its charm.

underrated

I think this is a excellent keyboard for the price. The sounds are very warm and imperfect. it is fully analog and you can tell.

The cons of it would be the sustain for this are hard to find because it is an rca input.

I love this keyboard and it will always have a place in my studio.

Preferred Settings + Usage:

A true classic - unique organ sounds

This keyboard is seriously underrated - can be found really cheap. Limited in sounds but the Organ 1 and 2 + Vibraphone is so great sounding that it justifies getting this keyboard. Heavily used by "Beach House" and very inspiring to play on.